Hilary, what's odd is that we might say a pair of quail but not a pair of dove for these monogamous birds. I'm trying to think of other species, other than deer, that get this odd singular treatment. I sat on my son's deck this afternoon and saw a few doves. I guess it's their spring migration time.
Incidentally, in Shakespeare's delightful song about spring, we see "turtles tread." I remember my high school teacher saying something about how that's exactly how turtles move. However, I later learned that "turtles" are in fact turtle doves and that "tread" has an older sexual meaning that goes back to Chaucer.
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